All Forum Posts by Brian Lewis

short term vs. long termAs others have said, long distance hikers typically run somewhat of a calorie deficit, and try to make it up in town --- it's certainly a factor in why long distance hikers are rightfully dread...

Agreed, it IS complicatedNo doubt that feet are complicated and that what works for one person doesn't work for another.
I've had the same conversation with my foot doctor; he wanted me to get a boot, but I poin...

best wishesThat trail (CDT) seems to creatively find new ways to kick your ass all the way along it, more than other trails do --- I hope that you love the experience (anyway) !
Just FWIW I found the Gila ...

Re: when is this trip?I certainly can't predict what things will be like for you, but definitely in your situation I wouldn't be carrying snowshoes for that distance. What I might do if concerned is adjust pac...

when is the trip?One comment suggested the trip is late May, but it wasn't really clear ... when exactly are you going? Hiking through there in June 2011, my hiking partner and I ended up bailing (which itsel...

complete list?Is this intended as an absolutely complete list, missing nothing? It looks on the short side to me, though perhaps it just aggregates more things that I'm used to seeing broken out --- indeed ...

plantar fasciitisCheck via your local library system if they carry the book "Fixing Your Feet" by John Vonhoff. I suggest reading up on P.F. there, and you might also just read through this in general, t...

get your shoes dialed in soonLooking at the updated list, the thing that jumps off the page for me is this text in bold font: "trail running shoes??"
If you don't already have your footwear dialed in, I strong...

ASIC Gel-Kahana 4's, but ..."It would also be interesting if you listed an approximate drying time after stream crossing. Assuming a continual hike from stream crossing to dry time."
I think that the specific mod...

Golite ForceI use Golite shoes because the toe-box is shaped a lot more like the front of an actual human foot. More specifically, most trail runners or other shoes give me problems due to bunionettes (little to...

Montbell Thermawrap VestI have a size medium Thermawrap jacket and a size large Thermawrap vest; I probably should have reversed those to be able to layer the vest under the jacket rather than over, but it actually works fin...

Thermarest Neo-AirLike Dylan Carlson, I also used a Neo-Air (size regular for me) on a thru-hike. My thru-hike was of the Appalachian Trail, starting in late February (2010), so a lot of snow and cold weather in the f...

REI REI Peak UL Compact Hiking PolesI too had something over 3000 miles on my pair --- the majority of that thru-hiking the PCT in 2008 plus a variety of much shorter trips. I started my AT thru-hike with them (early in 2010), but just...

Memory-Map NavigatorThis is actually a comparison of two product alternatives for putting topographic software on a Windows Mobile platform smartphone with a true GPS.
The 4/5 rating is for one of those, Memory-Map Navi...

Golite Versa ForceLet me start by saying that my rating of '4' is tentative until I've done more miles in these. But as I found nothing useful in searching for reviews of currently-available Golite footwe...

ULA Axis CramponI'm hoping to thru-hike the PCT next year, and one of many equipment issues for me was the question of whether to use crampons or not in the Sierras. I also do day hikes in "shoulder" s...

Western Mountaineering SummerLiteI agree --- the summerlite is excellent. I frankly don't trust any individual evaluation of a sleeping bag temperature rating (32F in this case); so many things affect this, including not only th...